4x4 Trails

At Syncro Safari, Tahoe '15 took remote Syncro adventures on three (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) of our days together. Trails were selected for heir scenery, historic value, and for a mild-moderate 4-wheeling challenge. We had a few challenges on the trails but nothing to damage our Syncros. We all got back in one piece.Scenery, especially views of Lake Tahoe, was breathtaking!

Monday, July 13 - Genoa Peak Trail

Excerpted from ﻿www.Trails.com﻿:"This trail begins just off of Nevada 207 near Lake Tahoe. Proceed north off the highway on North Benjamin Drive. This paved road accesses the National Forest road after running through a residential area for approximately 2 miles. Before entering the National Forest, the paved road becomes Andrea Drive. Passing through a seasonal gate into the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, the dirt road is one lane wide, but with plenty of pullouts for passing oncoming vehicles. Proceeding north, the trail runs through a forest of mainly conifers trees. Large embedded rocks make it a bumpy ride, and large boulders flank the road on either side. Special Attractions: Views of Lake Tahoe. Network of 4WD roads to explore. Good picnic spots."

Wednesday, July 15 - Mount Watson TrailExcerpted from the fantastic guide book "Backcountry Adventures, Northern California" by Peter Massey and Jeanne Wilson. "Mount Watson Trail begins in Tahoe City at the headwaters of
the Truckee River, the only outlet from Lake Tahoe. California 89 crosses the
Truckee River at this point on the Virginia Street bridge, a landmark of some
renown. In 1906, the dissatisfied spouse of a leading national businessman came
to Reno, Nevada, to annul her marriage. The high-profile divorce made Reno the
place to get separated with panache. The final statement for such a dissolution
was to travel up to Tahoe City and cast the now defunct wedding ring off the
side of the Virginia Street Bridge. This ring-throwing ceremony was
immortalized by Marilyn Monroe in her last movie, The Misfits.

This route, also known as the Fiberboard Freeway, mainly
follows a series od developed logging roads. Most of the trail is rated a 2 for
difficulty; the 3 rating comes from the section leading out of Tahoe City. This
small, formed trail can be loose and steep enough to require four-wheel-drive;
this section is seasonally closed to motor vehicles to protect the trail
surface.

The trail winds through Tahoe National Forest, passing a mix
of aspens and conifers and offering many opportunities for hiking or camping along
the way. A short spur leads to a small clearing at the top of Mt. Watson, which
provides fantastic views of Lake Tahoe. A second short spur leads to Watson
Lake, which is a good place to camp or picnic. The banks of the lake are fringed
with wildflowers in spring. It is normally quiet and sees little of the crowds
that visit Lake Tahoe. The Western States Trail, part of the American Discovery
Trail, and the Tevis Cup Trail both follow part of the Mount Watson route along
the ridge.Past the spur to Watson Lake, the trail follows better
graded roads below Sawtooth Ridge, descending gradually toward Truckee. To the
west is Squaw Valley, one of the region’s popular ski areas.

"McKinney Creek Trail follows a short section of the infamous Rubicon Trail, a hardcore jeep trail for modified vehicles, before heading north to Barker Pass.The trail leaves from the edge of Tahoma along a small paved road, following signs to the Rubicon OHV Trailhead. Past the trailhead, it becomes a rough dirt trail that has been stabilized with loose crushed rock to help minimize damage to the meadows and marshes. Please do not travel this trail in wet weather. Avoiding the trail when wet will minimize damage and help keep this historic route open.

Along McKinney Creek, the trail is loose in places with a few embedded rocks. The Sierra Nevada fault, a major California fault line, crosses the trail near Lake Tahoe.

The trail passes several lakes: The first two, McKinney Lake and Lilly Lake, are covered with water lilies; the third, Miller Lake, is open water. The lakes were formed when eastbound glaciers dropped moraine, forming natural dams. A few campsites can be found near the lakes.

The trail forks after 5.8 miles. The Rubicon Trail continues to the left on its long journey to Georgetown. A short distance past the intersection, the Rubicon starts to show its colors and becomes 7-rated as it crawls over large boulders. The Rubicon Trail in its entirety is not suitable for stock vehicles. The main trail turns right at this intersection and follows a roughly graded road, climbing toward Barker Pass. The trail passes Bear Lake, which is set below the trail, and the rock bowl of Cothrin Cove. The final part of the route leaves the graded road and winds along the uneven Barker Meadow OHV Trail, passing beside Barker meadow.

The trail copmes to an end at the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trailhead at Barker Pass. The more difficult Blackwood Canyon Trail leaves from Barker Pass and can be combined with McKinney Creek Trail to make a loop back to California 89. For a more direct way back to the highway, turn right onto Barker Pass Road (FR 03), which quickly becomes paved and drops swiftly to join California 89.

Trail NOT taken: Blackwood Canyon Trail(We expected to make a loop of McKinney Creek and Blackwood Canyon, but the going was slow and by the time we got to Miller Lake, we had a nice picnic and headed back. Description included here for those who might want to make this loop in the future.) Description below excerpted from the fantastic guide book "Backcountry Adventures, Northern California" by Peter Massey and Jeanne Wilson.

"This short trail begins along Blackwood Creek and climbs up the ridge to Barker Pass. The route parallels paved Barker Pass Road, but the paved road is not visible from the trail. Compact and subcompact 4WDs are best suited for this trail; extra wide of full size vehicles may not make the squeeze between two trees encountered 2.6 miles from the start of the trail.The trail gets its difficulty rating from the long, moderately steep, loose climb up a single vehicle width trail. A few embedded rocks must be negotiated along the trail. The hardest pinch is the final 50 yards before the top of the climb. However, a stock, high-clearance 4WD in low range should be able to negotiate the rocks with careful wheel placement.

Good views over Blackwood Canyon and a glimpse of Lake Tahoe make this a very scenic drive. The trail finishes at the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trailhead on Barker Pass. McKinney Creek Trail heads south from Barker Pass, the two can be combined for a longer loop back to California 89.

Trail RatingsTrails are rated here on a very simple basis and truthfully there’s much more behind describing trail difficulty than this simplification does justice to. But, for the sake of simplicity these ratings are compared to a typical Syncro’s capability. What’s a typical Syncro? Original 2.1L engine, 14” wheels with 27” LT all-terrain tires, and a rear differential lock.

Syncro Safari RatingsEasy – 2WD with decent tires and maybe a little ground clearance can do this trail. Mild – Occasional 4WD needed, obstacles are not a real challenge for a Syncro, Diff-lock not needed. Moderate – 4WD often needed, challenging for a Syncro, Diff-lock needed at times, some obstacles require getting out, scouting a route, stacking some rocks. Difficult – 4WD often needed, some obstacles more than a Syncro can handle, Diff-lock often required, significant terrain modification to make passable for a Syncro, damage likely Extreme – Fuh-getaboudit! Serious off-road vehicles needed, not passible by a Syncro The Massey & Wilson trail ratings are included in the fantastic guide book "Backcountry Adventures" series by Peter Massey and Jeanne Wilson. Rating 1: The trail is graded dirt but suitable for a normal passenger vehicle. It usually has gentle grades, is fairly wide, and has shallow water crossings (if any).Rating 2: High-clearance vehicles are preferred but not necessary. These trails are dirt roads, but they may have rocks grades, water crossings, or ruts that make clearance a concern in a normal passenger vehicle. The trails are fairly wide, making passing possible at almost any point along the trail. Mud is not a concern under normal weather conditions.Rating 3: High-clearance 4WDs are preferred, but any high-clearance vehicle is acceptable. Expect a rough road surface; mud and sand are possible but will be easily passable. You may encounter rocks up to 6 inches in diameter, a loose road surface, and shelf roads, though these will be wide enough for passing or will have adequate pull-offs.Rating 4: High Clearance 4WDs are recommended, though most stock SUVs are acceptable. Expect a rough road surface with rocks over 6 inches, but there will be a reasonable driving line. Available. Patches of mud are possible but can readily be negotiated; sand may be deep and require low tire pressures. There may be stream crossings up to 12 inches deep, substantial sections of single lane shelf road, moderate grades and sections of moderately loose road surface.Rating 5: High-clearance 4WDs are required. These trails have either a rough, rutted surface, rocks up to 9 inches, mud and deep sand may be impassable for inexperienced drivers, or stream crossings up to 18 inches deep. Certain sections may be steep enough to cause traction problems, a nd you may encounter very narrow shelf roads with steep drop-offs and tight clearance between rocks and trees.